Exercise apparatus including multiple function aspects and small footprint

Abstract

The exercise apparatus of the invention possesses a small footprint, thus enabling its assembly in a relatively small space. It provides in a single unitary apparatus cooperative components that enable at least 325 different positions of exercise. The apparatus includes a rigid metal frame having a box-like quadrilateral rear section detachably secured to a generally triangular front section that provides a pair of rearwardly inclined support bars on which are adjustably mounted holding elements for supporting components such as barbells. Between the quadrilateral rear section and the triangular front section, is a vertical beam having a multiplicity of vertically spaced mounting apertures, the beam functioning to support an adjustable pulley assembly from which eminates a flexible pull cable. By vertical adjustment of the pulley assembly, the pull cable may be elevated or lowered to change the angle at which a force load is imposed on the muscles of an individual using the apparatus. In conjunction with such adjustable pulley arrangement for modifying the angle of pull on the cable in relation to the user's body, there is provided a pair of telescopically adjustable foot support plates that form adjustable abutments against which the users feet may be placed. By vertically adjusting the pulley assembly and horizontally adjusting the telescopically adjustable foot plates, hundreds of different exercises may be executed.

1. An exercise apparatus having a relatively small footprint on a supporting floor area and adapted for use by a person unattended by a trainer to exercise a multiplicity of different muscle groups of the human body, said exercise apparatus compromising:
 a) a rigid metal frame having top and bottom ends, said bottom end configured to partially encompass an area of the floor on which the rigid frame is supported and within which encompassed area a person may be positioned to utilize the exercise apparatus; 
 b) a weight stack including a multiplicity of weight plates stacked one upon another and slidably mounted on said rigid frame for elevation of a selected number of said weight plates from a predetermined lower position adjacent the bottom end of the frame to a selected higher position spaced vertically from said bottom end of the rigid frame; 
 c) a fixed pulley block mounted on the top end of said rigid frame and including at least one pulley rotatably journaled thereon; 
 d) and adjustable pulley block mounted on the rigid frame and including at least two pulleys rotatably journaled thereon, said adjustable pulley block being slidably mounted on said rigid frame for selective vertical adjustment between said top and bottom ends of said rigid frame and including means for selectively locking said adjustable pulley block at a selected height between said top and bottom ends of said rigid frame; 
 e) an elongated cable having one end thereof connected to said weight stack and an intermediate portion thereof engaging the rotatable pulleys in said fixed and adjustable pulley blocks and the other end of the cable remote from said weight stack connected to a handle adapted to be grasped by the person exercising so as to impose tension on said cable to elevate a selected number of said weight plates; and 
 f) a pair of foot support plate assemblies mounted on the bottom end of said rigid frame in a position to accommodate the feet of a person sitting on the floor in said area encompassed by the bottom edge of the rigid frame and grasping the handle connected to said cable the remote end of which is connected to said weight stack. 
 
   
   
     2. The exercise apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein said rigid metal frame comprises a rear frame portion and a front frame portion detachably secured to said rear frame portion to form said rigid metal frame and to enable selective assembly for use of said exercise apparatus and disassembly for packaging and shipping of said exercise apparatus. 
   
   
     3. The exercise apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein said rear frame portion includes first and second pairs of laterally spaced vertical beams rigidly connected top and bottom by pairs of laterally extending horizontal beams and pairs of laterally separated spacer beams joining the spaced top and bottom end portions of said first and second pairs of laterally spaced vertical beams to form a generally rectangular box-like structure. 
   
   
     4. The exercise apparatus according to  claim 3 , wherein said second pair of laterally spaced vertical beams of said rear frame portion are provided with forwardly facing surfaces and the forwardly facing surfaces of the beams are provided with spaced apertures and a vertically adjustable catch bracket having a forwardly projecting catch arm is slidably mounted on each said beam of the pair and each said catch bracket includes a selectively deployable lock pin selectively digitally manipulable to unlock or lock said catch bracket to the associated beam. 
   
   
     5. The exercise apparatus according to  claim 4 , wherein the forwardly projecting catch arm of each of said catch brackets is provided with a top barbell support surface and a front face plate integrally mounted on the distal end of said catch arm to provide an upwardly extending flange projecting beyond said top barbell support surface to preclude a barbell resting on said catch arms from rolling off the catch arms. 
   
   
     6. The exercise apparatus according to  claim 4 , wherein said lock pin is provided with a spring interposed between the lock pin and the catch bracket to resiliently urge the lock pin into an associated aperture. 
   
   
     7. The exercise apparatus according to  claim 6 , wherein said spaced apertures are each provided along a peripheral edge portion with a ramp to guide said lock pin that is provided with a spring interposed between the lock pin and the vertically adjustable barbell catch assembly to resiliently urge the lock pin into an associated aperture. 
   
   
     8. The exercise apparatus according to  claim 3 , wherein laterally extending vertically spaced support rods are fixed to the laterally spaced vertical beams of said first pair of beams of said rear frame portion for storing barbell weights when not in use. 
   
   
     9. The exercise apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein said front frame portion detachably secured to said rear frame portion comprises a pair of laterally spaced rearwardly inclined frame members spaced from said rear frame portion, a pair of upper rearwardly extending laterally spaced beams fixedly connected at corresponding ends to associated upper ends of said laterally spaced rearwardly inclined frame members and detachably connected at their opposite ends to the upper end of said rear frame portion, a pair of lower rearwardly extending laterally spaced beams fixedly connected at corresponding ends to associated lower ends of said laterally spaced rearwardly inclined frame members and detachably connected at their opposite ends to the lower end of said rear frame portion. 
   
   
     10. The exercise apparatus according to  claim 9 , wherein said pair of laterally spaced rearwardly inclined frame members spaced from said rear frame portion are each provided with corresponding vertically spaced apertures and at least one vertically adjustable barbell catch assembly is slidably mounted on each said inclined frame member and provided with a selectively deployable lock pin selectively digitally manipulable to unlock or lock said catch assembly to the associated incline frame member. 
   
   
     11. The exercise apparatus according to  claim 10 , wherein at least a pair of said vertically adjustable barbell catch assemblies is mounted on each inclined frame member. 
   
   
     12. The exercise apparatus according to  claim 10 , wherein said lock pin is provided with a spring interposed between the lock pin and the vertically adjustable barbell catch assembly to resiliently urge the lock pin into an associated aperture. 
   
   
     13. The exercise apparatus according to  claim 12 , wherein said spaced apertures are each provided along a peripheral edge with a ramp to guide said lock pin into engagement with a selected aperture. 
   
   
     14. The exercise apparatus according to  claim 9 , wherein a transversely extending exercise bar is detachably mounted on said upper rearwardly extending laterally spaced beams adjacent the connection thereof to associated upper ends of said rearwardly inclined front frame members. 
   
   
     15. The exercise apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein said pair of foot support plate assemblies are mounted on the bottom end of said rear frame portion and are selectively adjustably deployable incrementally between a fully retracted position and an extended position spaced from said rear frame portion. 
   
   
     16. The exercise apparatus according to  claim 15 , wherein each of said foot support plate assemblies includes a first tubular sleeve fixedly mounted on said bottom end of said rear frame portion, at least one bar telescopically mounted in said tubular sleeve and on which a foot plate is mounted, and a digitally manipulable lock assembly selectively deployable to lock the foot plate at a selected distance from said rear frame member. 
   
   
     17. An exercise apparatus having a relatively small footprint on a supporting floor area and adapted for use by a person unattended by a trainer to exercise a multiplicity of different muscle groups of the human body, said exercise apparatus compromising:
 a) a rigid metal frame having
 i) top and bottom ends, said bottom end configured to partially encompass an area of the floor on which the rigid frame is supported and within which encompassed area a person may be positioned to utilize the exercise apparatus, and 
 ii) a rear frame portion and a front frame portion detachably secured to said rear frame portion to form said rigid metal frame to enable selective assembly for use of said exercise apparatus and disassembly for packaging and shipping of said exercise apparatus, 
 
 wherein said rear frame portion includes first and second pairs of laterally spaced vertical beams rigidly connected top and bottom by pairs of laterally extending horizontal beams and pairs of laterally separated spacer beams joining the spaced top and bottom end portions of said first and second pairs of laterally spaced vertical beams to form a generally rectangular box-like structure and 
 wherein said front frame portion detachably secured to said rear frame portion comprises a pair of laterally spaced rearwardly inclined frame members spaced from said rear frame portion, a pair of upper rearwardly extending laterally spaced beams fixedly connected at corresponding ends to associated upper ends of said laterally spaced rearwardly inclined frame members and detachably connected at their opposite ends to the upper end of said rear frame portion, a pair of lower rearwardly extending laterally spaced beams fixedly connected at corresponding ends to associated lower ends of said laterally spaced rearwardly inclined frame members and detachably connected at their opposite ends to the lower end of said rear frame portion;
 b) a weight stack including a multiplicity of weight plates stacked one upon another and slidably mounted on said rigid frame for elevation of a selected number of said weight plates from a predetermined lower position adjacent the bottom end of the frame to a selected higher position spaced vertically from said bottom end of the rigid frame; 
 c) a fixed pulley block mounted on the top end of said rigid frame and including at least one pulley rotatably journaled thereon; 
 d) and adjustable pulley block mounted on the rigid frame and including at least two pulleys rotatably journaled thereon, said adjustable pulley block being slidably mounted on said rigid frame for selective vertical adjustment between said top and bottom ends of said rigid frame and including means for selectively locking said adjustable pulley block at a selected height between said top and bottom ends of said rigid frame; 
 e) an elongated cable having one end thereof connected to said weight stack and an intermediate portion thereof engaging the rotatable pulleys in said fixed and adjustable pulley blocks and the other end of the cable remote from said weight stack connected to a handle adapted to be grasped by the person exercising so as to impose tension on said cable to elevate a selected number of said weight plates; and 
 f) a pair of foot support plate assemblies mounted on the bottom end of said rigid frame in a position to accommodate the feet of a person sitting on the floor in said area encompassed by the bottom edge of the rigid frame and grasping the handle connected to said cable the remote end of which is connected to said weight stack. 
 
 
   
   
     18. The exercise apparatus according to  claim 17 , wherein said second pair of laterally spaced vertical beams of said rear frame portion are provided with forwardly facing surfaces and the forwardly facing services of the beams are provided with spaced apertures and a vertically adjustable catch bracket having a forwardly projecting catch arm is slidably mounted on each said beam of the pair and each said catch bracket includes a selectively deployable lock pin selectively digitally manipulable to unlock or lock said catch bracket to the associated beam. 
   
   
     19. The exercise apparatus according to  claim 17 , wherein said pair of laterally spaced rearwardly inclined frame members spaced from said rear frame portion are each provided with corresponding vertically spaced apertures and at least one vertically adjustable barbell catch assembly is slidably mounted on each said inclined frame member and provided with a selectively deployable lock pin selectively digitally manipulable to unlock or lock said catch assembly to the associated incline frame member. 
   
   
     20. The exercise apparatus according to  claim 17 , wherein each of said foot support plate assemblies includes a first tubular sleeve fixedly mounted on said bottom end of said rear frame portion, at least one bar telescopically mounted in said tubular sleeve and on which a foot plate is mounted, and a digitally manipulable lock assembly selectively deployable to lock the foot plate at a selected distance from said rear frame member.